N09 – Bagan Dalam

N09 – BAGAN DALAM

A TANASEKHARAN

Previously Elected Position

State Assemblyperson for Bagan Dalam

Fighting through the years

Tanasegaran has known the DAP for a very long time. He stood his ground from the days that he was in university and held his ground until today. Of course, no one knew that 2008 would be the defining moment of Malaysian politics but Tana was always one to hope.

Tana joined the party in 1981 because he felt that his rights as a Malaysian was being trampled on by the ruling party. Widespread racism was also a factor in his decision to join the DAP. He saw that the continuous play on communal politics would be the downfall of society. Opportunistic politicians would champion their race in order to climb the ladder in their respective communal parties.

A DAP veteran, Tana went through some of the most turbulent times in the party but he stood firm and refused to let setbacks dampen his spirits.

“If you let yourself be easily defeated mentally, you will not survive long in the unpredictable world of politics,” Tana says.

Tana was a candidate in the 2008 elections that saw the BN lose power in the state for the 2nd time in the nation’s history. After winning the state seat of Bagan Dalam, Tana knew the challenges that he and party would be facing now that the DAP had been given the chance to govern.

“As a DAP elected representative, I have to help Malaysians of all races as we do not believe in racial politics. Bagan Dalam is as mixed as one can imagine” says Tana.

Tana has made it his priority to solve the housing problem that is affecting the people of Bagan Dalam. The DAP has been trying to solve the housing problem in Penang brought on by the previous BN government who had their own private interests in mind.

“A new political system was brought on by the current administration of CM Lim Guan Eng, but no doubt we have to clean up the mess brought on by the previous BN government,” says Tana.

Tana acknowledges that capturing the federal government will not be easy but that it is important to continue the fight to bring about an alternative government in Malaysia. The BN had been using fear to deny PR a chance to helm the government, they know that if PR has the chance to govern, they will perform better. BN will either be forced to change their corrupt ways or become totally irrelevant.

“Political education has been denied to the masses so that the people will be so cut off from the administration that they will just vote blindly. UMNO creates a glass ceiling for anyone who is not either related or connected to the ruling elite to stay just a normal member and not be able to rise” says Tana.

Tana believes that the BN federal government has learned to work with the PR state government as they no longer have a choice but to accept that PR is now the choice of the people.

“We will deal with the federal government on friendly terms if the implementations of policies will be for the betterment of the people of Penang. We are not self-centred politicians that will oppose for the sake of opposing and end up not helping the people for the betterment of our own political careers.” Tana remarks.